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Danster Bokoto
Summary Character Overview An old school and long-serving Jedi Master, committed to the old ways of the Jedi. General Appearance A tall Gungan with a grey/green complexion, usually daubed in traditional Jedi robes. Strengths Despite his age, Danster remains skilled at lightsaber combat. He also has a sharp eye for mechanics and is a competent pilot of both submarines and starfighters. Weaknesses Danster struggles to be objective where his padawans are concerned, often making rash and ill-advised judgements. His inflexibility make it hard for him to adapt to the more modern Jedi Order and has made him unpopular with his comrades. He also struggles with homesickness, making his pine for home on lengthy missions off-planet. Out of Character Finding an online home The player behind Danster joined TGC in April 2000. I began my online Star Wars life on the first day of the new millennium, joining Jedi.net on New Years Day 2000. From there, I followed a link to an Ezboard called The Jedi Temple and preferred the format to Jedi.net's CBB platform. Later, I spotted a link to The Gungan Council in The Jedi Temple's EZring, followed it and never looked back. Staff Career After becoming an active member of The Gungan Council, I soon became a staff member, originally as the moderator of a forum called "The Gungan Armory" but then a full board moderator and then an admin. The board founder and owner, General Ceel, bestowed the title of Co-owner on me, before I was removed from the staff for inactivity in December 2006. I was reinstated to the staff in December 2007 but was removed again due to inactivity in June 2007, shortly after the migration to Yuku. The Dead Years and Revival During the years TGC was in its death throes, I would regularly swing by and visit, post a few times and vanish again as it plodded along doing no more than existing. I'd occasionally chip in to support Kat's pleading to move TGC off Tapatalk to a new platform, lobbying that proved successful in January 2020 when Brian (General Ceel) handed over the reins of TGC and allowed the rebirth of the community with TGC v2.0 and long may its success continue. Vehicles Danster is a skilled pilot with extensive experience in the air. As a Lieutenant in Spectrum Squadron, he racked up hundreds of hours in the cockpit of an X-Wing. As the Admiral of The Gungan Council's expansive fleet, Alpha Armada, ''he had temporary homes in the captain's quarters of both a Mon Calamari MC80 Star Cruiser and an Eclipse Star Destroyer. However, he has always personally owned a starfighter and shuttle and he owns a single-seat combat Bongo submarine called ''The Warspite. HLAF-500 Fighter As the administrator of The Gungan Council shipyards, Danster was provided with a personal starfighter of his choosing, which was gifted to him when he resigned as Admiral. VCX-100 Light Freighter Hyper Gunga II, a VCX-100 Light Freighter was purchased by Danster following the demise of his first shuttle, another craft provided to him as shipyard administrator, the YT-2400 shuttle Hyper Gunga, ''which was destroyed on Dromund Kaas when Danster intervened to try and prevent a Sith invasion. It has been specially adapted, with many of the modifications carried out by Danster himself, with the made change enabling the docking bay suitable to house his HLAF-500 fighter, rather than the VCX starfighter it was originally designed to fit. History Career '''Apprentice Mechanic:' After failing to get along at school, Danster left after becoming a teenager to undertake an apprenticeship as a sub mechanic. He took to it with ease and soon began his own small freelance activity on the side. Private in the Gungan Army: Danster enlisted into the Gungan Army to fight in the Battle on the Naboo Plains against the Trade Federation. He was removed straight after the battle after it was realised that he frauded documents to prove he was old enough to enrol when in reality he was only 15 and underage. Jedi Padawan: Danster became a padawan in a small Jedi training facility on Coruscant affiliated to the Greater Jedi Order though independent. Jedi Knight: Danster Bokoto became a Jedi Knight on Coruscant and immediatley left the training facility to return to Naboo. 2nd Bongo Sub Squadron Leader: After returning to Naboo, Danster enlisted as a military sub pilot in his Bongo The Warspite. Ceel quickly promoted him to Squadron Leader. Gungan High Council: Danster's loyal service to the Gungan people and Naboo saw him offered a seat on the Gungan High Council. Spectrum Squadron: Danster served in the famous X-Wing Spectrum Squadron and held the title of Lieutenant within the group. Shipyard Co-ordinator and Admiral of the Fleet: Danster became the administrator for the Gungan Council's galaxy-wide shipyards as well as being promoted to Admiral of the Gungan and Jedi fleets. Jedi Master and Jedi Councillor: More years of effective and loyal service saw Danster promoted to Jedi Master as well as being granted a seat on the Jedi Council. The Early Years Danster was born to Celestia and Darello Bokoto in the underwater city of Otoh Gunga. His mother died in childbirth, managing only once to set eyes on her newborn son. His father served loyally in the Gungan Army only to retire from active service when his wife became pregnant. He raised his son alone and became a bubble-lift mechanic to maintain an income. Danster often assisted him on his rounds and quickly grasped an understanding of mechanics, skills which he transferred to submarines when he began an apprenticeship in bongo mechanics when he became a teenager. The young Gungan's life was turned around when he was 15, the year of the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo. Boss Nass called all able Gungans to assist with the Battle of Naboo on the plains to divert the droid armys away from Naboo. Danster was eager to help but fell below the required age. Forging papers that lied about his age, Danster was able to sneak into the armed forces. His father spotted him on the battlefield and wasn't surprised at how well he handled himself. He got a hold of him during the post-battle celebrations and scolded him for his actions. However, aware of a force-sensitivity in the family bloodline, he instructed his son that he was to travel to Coruscant and seek the Jedi as soon as he had the means to do so. Danster spent the next few months scrimping and saving, fixing bongos, bubble-lifts, anything anyone would pay him to repair. Learning the ways of the force Danster soon acquired enough capital to gain passage to Coruscant; a one-way ticket on a primitive cargo vessel. He opted for the cheapest ticket available, which unfortunatley was destined for a sector of Coruscant hundreds of miles away from the Jedi Temple. He began hiking through the galactic capital, sleeping where he could find shelter, else in the city depths with the tramps. Scrapes and scraps became common-place. Eventually the Gungan stumbled upon a small Jedi training facility ran by Jedi Knight Leia Solo. She offered him shelter and training in the ways of the Jedi within her independent, though affiliated with the Greater Jedi Order, community. Eventually he was granted the rank of Jedi Knight. He remained on Coruscant for a short while, assisting with the running of the group and training new padawans, though he was soon homeward bound, returning to Naboo to serve his people. The Battle of Naboo Danster's return to Naboo coincided with one of it's darkest chapters; Itala Marzullo and The Sith Council's ruthless attack on the planet. The Jedi Gungan was positioned in his sub in the swamps of Naboo as he fought desperatley to defend Otoh Gunga. Despite fighting competently and bravely and eventually repelling the Sith and preventing Naboo from a succesful invasion, Theed and the Underwater City was left devastated. Danster gave his all in helping the planet rebuild and was soon rewarded for his work by being named Leader of the Second Bongo Sub Squadron. The Gungan Civil War Despite the rapid recovery of the Gungan people, all was not well with it's leader General Ceel. The destruction had taken a huge toll on the Gungan and questions were being asked over his sanity. The unquestionably loyal Danster even began to question his beloved leader's actions. Things took a turn for the worse when Ceel retreated to his quarters in a disturbed frame of mind and appeared to commit suicide. With his demise being so sudden and unexpected, and with the General being without child at the time, the throne had no heir. Clegg Holdfast and Organa Solo emerged as the two prime candidates for the leadership, though things soon became hostile. Danster aligned himself with Organa Solo, the leader of the Jedi, unhappy at Clegg Holdfast's aggressive attitude and his refusal to accept Ceel's mental instability, an action Danster believed only worsened his leader's situation. Organa Solo eventually came out on top and claimed the throne. However, days later General Ceel emerged, his death had been faked, and demanded his throne be returned to him. Battles resumed once more, half of the Gungan people insistent that the throne be returned to General Ceel, the other half believing him to be unfit to rule. In an action that would haunt him for decades to come, Danster sided with the latter and defended Organa Solo's position as leader. General Ceel was eventually successful in retaking his title and wounds between the battling factions were quickly healed. The Gungan people would enjoy a sustained period of peace and focus began on establishing a strong Jedi faction on Naboo. Ceel and his Queen gave birth to an heir, General Ceel 2 and all on Naboo was well. The Ewoks With Naboo largely secure, Danster was sent to Endor to assist with the estblishment of a new faction, the Council of Ewoks. He quickly befriend the leader, Vinsto, and became an honourary Ewok chief as well as a good friend of the rulers of Endor. The group came to be unified after an impressive victory against an invading Imperial army, with the assistance of Danster and New Republic forces lead by General Tomohawk. The New Republic funded a weapons program, shipyard construction and a planetary defence system. The Ewok Council quickly became a force and Danster's time became divided between Naboo and Endor. Expansion and Conquest The galactic structure was undergoing a rapid period of change. New factions were springing up at dozens of different planets and all were hungry to expand their influence into various systems. It became the duty of the lightside factions, and the Gungan and Jedi groups in particular, to keep up with the increasingly powerful Sith groups. Danster, as Admiral of the Jedi and Gungan's largest fleet, Alpha Armada launched a series of missions, diplomatic missions on peaceful planets, aggressive missions on hostile planets, and expanded Jedi influence across the galaxy. Danster was involved in several skirmishes and fleet battles with the two greatest threats to peace, the Eternal Rogue Order and The New Order, a deadly combination of a powerful Sith faction and a ruthlessly efficient Imperial machine. Despite facing overwhelming numbers, Danster was able to defend the then two hubs of lightside influence, Naboo and Endor, from several waves of attack. Divided Loyalties Eventually, as several factions attempted to ally up to bring about the end of the dominance of Eternal Rogue Order and The New Order, the Jedi and Gungan people began to gain an upper hand. This was boosted by Danster's succesful capture of one of the most feared and powerful Sith, Gash Jiren. Whilst he endured a period of inner-turmoil that lead to him deserting the darkside and coverting to light, Danster pounced and forced him to surrender. He was bought back to Naboo as a prisoner. A high profile trial was instigated, made all the more complex by his pledge that he had left the Sith and sought training in the ways of the Jedi. Several of the Jedi saw this as a huge boost and Organa instantly suggested immunity and that he be put to great use as a strong Jedi and an effective weapon against the Sith forces. Danster however, ignoring his allegiance to the Jedi Code, pushed hard for the death penalty, insistent that Naboo and Gungan law meant Gash Jiren must be put to death for his murderous crimes against Noobian and Gungan people. He was defeated in the courtroom and Organa Solo and several other senior Jedi questioned his commitment to the Jedi Council. It was the most high profile example of the constant internal struggle Danster encounters; remain loyal to the Jedi Code, whilst prioritising his commitment to the Gungan race. The incident very nearly saw Danster vacate his seat on the Jedi Council and turn his back on the Order, but it never came to be. Rescuing and Queen, delivering a Princess One of the Gungan Jedi's most proud missions was when he rescued his Queen, Ceel's wife, from the claws of the manipulative and evil Aaron Astrin. Danster pursued the captor across the galaxy and a spectacular in-space duel ensued after a small scale naval conflict. The Gungan was victorious and set about returning the Queen to Naboo. However, on board a Mon Calamri battlecruiser, Queen Shmi began to give birth. With the help of a primitive medi-droid, Danster helped deliver Shmi Skywalker 2, the second child of General Ceel. Diplomacy, Politics and Science In the struggle against Eternal Rogue Order and The New Order, Danster came across a man who was to become one of his greatest friends in the galaxy, Supernova. Upon hearing of the formation of a group, The Organisation to Eliminate Evil, Danster set out to discover it's motives and whether it could be a potential ally to the Jedi Council and New Republic. He began to work well with Supernova and the two became very close friends. The friendship led to Danster serving a whole number of different roles as he followed Supernova around the galaxy, assisting his various projects. Governmental roles, diplomatic roles and even laboratory roles when Supernova set up the Galactic Science and Exploration Foundation in the Maw Cluster. Sadly, it was because of his Science feats that his presence in the galaxy is no longer felt. Supernova dedicated a lot of his work to the investigation of black holes. After creating and adapting a vessel to suit his daring mission, he flew into a black hole, hoping to disover more about the galaxy's most complex secrets. Watching from the lab, Danster witnessed only a white explosion and he never saw his good friend again. A Thorn in the (Dark)side Throughout his many years as a Jedi Danster has proved to be a constant irritant for the galaxy's darkest Sith. His talent in combat is one of his chief virtues and has helped him throw a spanner in the works of many evil masterplans as well as score him some high-profile scalps. He became the first and only Jedi to defeat the infamous Darkestsith6 as well successfully killing Malice Draclau, only for him to be revived later by unknown darkside magic. Both hunger for revenge to this day. He has been in duels with legendary characters of the darkside, Itala Marzullo, Rama Sha, Sith Kat, Big Bad Naga and Darth Midian to name a few. The Bathory Threat Naboo's next big threat soon revealed itself. The merciless Bathory gang soon became a constant thorn in the side of General Ceel and the Gungan people. One attempt at bring about an end to Ceel's regime was to kidnap his wife and Queen, Shmi Skywalker. Danster was sent on a rescue mission and returned with the damsel in distress, as well as a few scars. However, on the journey home, onboard a Mon Calamari warship, his Queen went into labour. Danster and a mediocre medi-droid were forced to assist with the birth of Shmi Skywalker 2, Ceel's second child. The Bathory gang would not be quelled and they continued to launch wave after wave of attacks on Ceel personally and the Gungan race. Eventually thanks to General Ceel, Danster Bokoto, Clegg Holdfast and Saace Falyk, they were about to capture and encase the entire gang (Senator Dio excluded) in carbonite. They remained in the Gungan High Council Chamber as trophies. However, even in their carbon prisons they were able to manipulate the minds of nearby lifeforms. General Ceel ordered Danster and Saace Falyk to remove their carbon-encased bodies and eject them to the depths of the Noobian swamps. Somehow, the Clan escaped and continued to be a constant menace to the people of Naboo; Ceel and his family in particular. After uncovering the hidden location of the Bathory gang, Ceel ordered an un-Jedi-like attack on the clan. However, the Bathory's caught wind of the attack and fled underground. Despite their disappearance, the persistent danger prompted Shmi Skywalker to leave Naboo with her daughter, to the heartbreak of General Ceel. A significant period of time passed before the Bathory gang would rear it's villainous head once more. A talented new Jedi Knight, Vernacular, received word from the Bothan spy network that a powerful Sith had placed huge bounties on all the members of the now disbaned Gungan High Council. General Ceel, upon hearing this news, immediatley went with Vernacular to round up his old comrades. Danster was stationed on Endor, having answered a distress call from his Ewok friends. An unknown Sith had slaughtered hundreds of Ewok civillians without motive and Danster was there to protect and investigate. It transpired to be the work of Darth Midian, a member of the Bathory gang, as one small part of their latest masterplan. By the time Ceel reached Naboo, he had already collected Clegg Holdfast. They quickly jetted off to Coruscant to collect former Councillor and Danster's most gifted former padawan, Tetengo Noor. However, they were too late to come to the rescue of the final member, the once great Jedi Master Organa Solo. One of the Bathory Clan had got there first and murdered the high profile Jedi. As the Jedi mourned the loss of their fallen comrade, more devastating news reached their ears. Whilst they had been jumping from planet to planet, reuniting the old Council, a vast droid army lead by Darth Bathory had landed on Naboo and captured the majority of the planet. They had been duped. Bathroy had fed false intelligence to get the biggest threats to his invasion off Naboo, leaving the planet ripe for the slaughter. With them all together, they would make an easier target to destroy, however Darth Poe, the acolyte who killed Organa, failed to terminate the rest of the group and they immediatley fled home to save their planet. As their shuttle entered Noobian space, Clegg Holdfast seemed to become possessed and seized control of the ship. He crash-landed it into the palace steps and the Jedi leapt from the vessel and launched an assault. They took down hundreds of battle droids as they progressed to the throne room, where Bathory had taken residence. Once there, Clegg Holdfast unleashed powers he had never used before or since to defeat Bathory and return control of Naboo to Ceel and the Jedi. However, Bathory was able to escape, severely debilitated, but alive. Rescuing a Princess Ceel's family once again became the target for the Bathory's sick lust for power. Darth Midian successfully implemented a rare, unknown poision into Shmi Skywalker 2, Ceel's beloved daughter. The greatest medical minds in the galaxy were summoned and no expense was spared to treat the princess who had been rendered lifeless by the poision. Most of the doctors came to the conclusion that she was untreatable, a few said she was infact dead. One however, said that the poision had origins in the mysterious Vong species and that a possible cure might be found by venturing into their systems. Ceel immediatley embarked on a mission to save his stricken daughter. Danster was currently on Coruscant, running a busy nightclub as a favour to an old friend from his Jedi training days. Ceel took Clegg with him and stopped by Coruscant for some advice and supplies. He got more than he bargained for when Danster insisted he accompany them on a mission that he saw as nothing but suicide. They eventually reached their target planet. Clegg stayed behind to guard the shuttle whilst Danster and Ceel went in search of something, anything that could help save Shmi's daughter. After engaging several Vong warriors and invading forbidden facilities, they were able to obtain the antidote and restore Shmi Skywalker 2. More than a padawan Training padawans was a regular duty for the Gungan Jedi Master. Throughout his years of service to the order he had trained many padawans through to Knighthood. However, one girl entered the Great Hall on Naboo and would alter his destiny. Zoe Marzullo, a bright, young girl, was guided by the force to Naboo and was taken under Danster's tutelage. The Gungan quickly became attached to her, and her to him, and their relationship blossomed into more of a father/daughter companionship that simply a Master/Padawan link. However Zoe, daughter of the powerful and evil Fiera Marzullo, fell for a most vile and evil man, Darth Milamber. She turned her back on the order and betrayed Danster. He spent many months pursuing her, trying in vain to bring her back, but she was lost, forever it seemed. However, rarely a day passed when Danster's mind did not wander to what Zoe Marzullo was up to, until one day, many years after she left, Zoe made contact. He wanted to scold her, to punish her, but as soon as he laid eyes on here, he knew such a course of action would never be possible. She quickly became a part of his life once more. And in one of the force's conincidences, Zoe also made an acquaintance with one Aiden Merritt, a budding archaeologist who had recently become a padawan of Danster's himself. She ultimately fell from the light once more, her abandonment leaving a deep scar on the Gungan.